Bank fraud accused procured 500 SIM cards using forged papers

Two days after a 48-year-old former bank loan agent was arrested for allegedly duping people and transferring amounts from their account by linking his mobile number, the police said that he had forged documents to get 500 SIM cards that were used in committing the crime.

The police said the investigation of the banking fraud executed by the conman has turned the spotlight on the irregularities in issuing SIM cards by a leading telecom company. Bank officials are already under investigation for their role in the frauds.

The Gurugram police on Saturday filed a case in connection with the issuance of 500 SIM cards by Airtel in violation of the norms of the Department of Telecommunications (DOT).

KK Rao, the commissioner of police, said that the second FIR in the banking fraud case was filed against the persons who had supplied SIM cards to the suspect, identified as Praveen Mittal (48), without proper documents.

“The suspect, in connivance with the staff of Airtel, had allegedly procured 500 SIM cards and sold them to different persons illegally. Most of these SIM cards were used for illegal activities and fraud. One of these SIM cards was used by Mittal to transfer ₹1.39 crore from the bank account of a farmer, who had received compensation for land acquisition in Gurugram. The SIM card, obtained without proper documentation, was of major use in the execution of the fraud,” he said.

Mittal, of Haryana’s Sonepat, lived in Gurugram and worked as a loan agent for several nationalised banks. The police said the suspect and his aides executed a series of banking frauds in at least three northern states.

One of Mittal’s aides, identified as Dinesh Sharma, who runs a placement agency, prepared fake documents of a recruitment company and managed to get 500 SIM cards fraudulently issued in connivance with officials of Airtel, the police said. “These SIM cards could have been used for anti-national activities as well,” said Rao.

A spokesperson for Airtel telecom, through a statement issued on Saturday, said, “As a law-abiding corporate, we have extended full cooperation to the authorities and will continue to assist them. Since the matter is sub judice, we will be unable to comment further.”

The FIR was registered under sections 419 (cheating personation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery) and 471 (using forged document) of the Indian Penal Code at Sector 37 police station. CT Bureau